Internet Explorer 7 is now being pushed out as an automatic update...
Hang onto your feed subscriptions, folks!
October 2006 Archives
Yeah, we'll see about this...
MySpace.com on Monday said it had licensed a new technology to stop users from posting unauthorized copyrighted music on the social networking Web site and oust frequent violators of its policy.
Where there's a will, there's a way...someone will hack through the MySpace system yet again and most certainly face the dreaded "profile deleted" response...
MySpace to block illegal use of copyrighted music [Washington Post]
Vox -- a new bloggin' platform from Six Apart -- is now officially live and open to the public.
I've had a Vox blog for a couple months thanks to an early invite from my other bloggeristas at FeedBurner, and I have to say that it's quite impressive right out of the gate.
Muse - Knights of Cydonia [YouTube]
This video reminded me of Walker: Texas Ranger, Kill Bill, and "The Falconer" skits on SNL all at once. That -- in and of itself -- is insanely impressive. Take six minutes out of your day for this one; you won't be sorry...
I've always found it humorous when a company publicly acknowledges that they've got "hackers" on staff...
A hacker who as a teen cracked the encryption on DVDs has found a way to unlock the code that prevents iPod users from playing songs from download music stores other than Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes, his company said on Tuesday.
Obviously this opens up Apple to a little less protection over their precious little FairPlay DRM technology...or does it? Again, publicly stating "we've hacked this..." will only send Apple in a plug-the-bug tailspin...
It'll be interesting to see if this has any impact.
Firefox 2 has been officially released. Get it here. I'll be testing out this baby today...
Not surprising that it came on the heels of the Internet Explorer 7 release...
My brother's pretty good at skateboarding. I used to be.
The religious lobbyists have won a minor battle with NBC and their upcoming TV special dedicated to Madonna...
Backing away from a confrontation with religious groups, NBC said it has decided not to show pictures of Madonna mounting a Crucifix when it airs a concert special with the pop star next month. The concert, which lists Madonna as an executive producer, is scheduled to air Nov. 22.
Madonna should figure out how to get this air anyway. Me thinks a cross malfunction might be in order...
Katie's family's in town for the weekend and I think we might be hitting the Tea Leaf Green show tonight after our stroll through the King Tut exhibit at the Field Museum. Good times...
Hope to share some photos from the exhibit soon...
In the latest epic landmark in the browser wars -- the shift from everyone in the world using Internet Explorer to some other browser -- Internet Explorer 7 has gone from beta to final way ahead of Mozilla Firefox 2.0's release.
I've been running the beta copy for a while and they have some interesting behavior come default for handling RSS feeds -- they have their own stylesheet that customizes the display of any XML data feed into an IE7-happy format (very similar to FeedBurner's BrowserFriendly service). Firefox 2 will have a similar feature. It's interesting, to say the least, that both of the major web browsers have built native support for RSS feeds. It's validation that it's a medium and way of publishing that can't be ignored.
Interesting stuff; should be cool to see how the browser percentage share shakes up after both are released as final.
Last Sunday, October 8, I participated in my first ever running 5K (well, more like jogging in my case) -- the Bucktown 5K -- and I'm very proud to say that I finished and met the goal that I wanted to meet.
The night before was early to bed for me after a lot of mental deliberation over the Ultimate 5K Playlist. I loaded up the iPod Shuffle with the playlist below -- approximately 32 minutes worth of music -- and put it next to my headband...
Justin's Ultimate 5K Playlist
- The Rapture - Down for So Long >
- 5ive Style - Hit the Decks >
- Benevento/Russo Duo - Soba >
- The Rapture - The Sound >
- Kraftwerk - Tour De France (part I) >
- Kraftwerk - Tour De France (part III) >
- Keller Williams - Dance of the Freak >
- Jimi Hendrix - Room Full of Mirrors >
- >>> FINISH LINE >>>
Would you believe that I actually skipped one of the songs on my playlist because I was running ahead of my own pace estimates?
I turned the final turn on the course and saw my lovely wife and our best friend cheering me on as I crossed the finish line. My Rocky moment realized. I ended up finishing about 1100th out of 2100 or so -- a total running time of 29:29 (9:30 minute mile pace) -- and I'm insanely damn proud of that feat. I felt like a billion dollars that day.
Here are the results (statistically).
Some more proof below.
I couldn't have done this without the fine support of my fellow FeedBurner cohorts -- Matt, John, and Joe -- as they gave me tips and little snippets of wisdom that helped my training all the way through to my race-day performance. This will not be my last 5K, and I do plan on upping that distance a little bit in the future to maybe try a 10K -- who knows. What I do know is, I had a lot of fun and I'm really glad I did it.
And unfortunately, my running progress has been slightly halted due to my biopsy late last week. I'm not supposed to strain the muscles in my leg with the stiches in, so I got in a 5K before I had to take a two week break from running. Good timing, Justin!
Overheard on Live Music Blog...
Jeez people settle down- go to Barney's Coffeshop and buy a few grams of "Willie Nelson" roll it, smoke it and it won't matter if you are listening to Britney Spears you are going to have a good time. [Jam in the 'Dam 2006 vs. 2007]
Too funny.
I'm quite surprised to wake up this morning and read the following...
Trailing the Cardinals 23-3 late in the third quarter Monday night in Arizona, Chicago staged a miraculous comeback, scoring two touchdowns on defense and one on special teams to escape with a stunning 24-23 victory.
Yes, you're reading that correctly. The Chicago Bears came back from a terrible first half performance to win the game -- a game that Katie and I turned off right about the time that they actually started to show some life -- and they're now still undefeated and they'll certainly be the talk of the town today.
It's pretty exciting to have a powerful football team in Chicago; I have fond memories of watching football on Sundays when I was growing up and I think I finally have a reason to revisit that tradition. In years past, I've been more focused on music (and maybe a little baseball) when it comes to my hobbies, but nothing beats watching the Bears on Sunday while lounging on your couch. Especially when they're kicking ass...
Dang, where was I for this?
Talk show host Oprah Winfrey and humanitarian rocker Bono hit Chicago's "Magnificent Mile" yesterday (Oct. 12) for a shopping spree to promote a new line of clothing, accessories and gadgets, including a special-edition iPod, that will raise money to fight AIDS in Africa.
Yesterday morning, I went into my dermatologist's office for an appointment following up my usual yearly mole/freckle check. This follow-up was to involve two small biopsies -- one on my neck and one on my shin -- not a huge deal, right?
Back in college, I had to get a the same thing done and all came back a-okay from the doctor. Nothing cancerous or anything scary like that. So I knew that this was somewhat routine and truthfully, this will be part of my normal routine of yearly health exams and checkups for the rest of my life. I've accepted this fact. My Irish-Swedish skin just really can't handle too much of the sun. Hell, I already look like I'm forty and I'm only twenty-five...
As the nurses started to prepare me for the biopsy, they had warned me "there will be a small prick and a slight burning sensation..." -- again, no big deal, I think...
My neck numbing came first and it wasn't too bad. I was warned of the prick and it was certainly odd to actually feel like your skin is on fire from the inside out. Next up, it was time to numb up my right shin -- where a 10mm or so little bump had protruded it's way out from under most of the rest of my epidermis in the area. Once the nurse had given it a prick or two -- none of which I had watched with my own eyes -- all of sudden things started to look a little hazy...
Instantly, I'm sweating like I've never experienced in my life. The sound becomes quiet and muffled. I completely lose all color, turn pale white, and feel insanely nauseous. Quickly the nurses got me an ice pack as I laid back and almost passed out.
"Did you eat breakfast today?"
"No..."
"No!?!?"
Whoops. My bad. Maybe I should have been a little smarter and actually had a good breakfast before I went to get two chunks lopped off my body.
The doctor and nurses were both great in helping me to feel better. My dermatologist and I struck up a conversation -- clearly to help me divert my attention elsewhere as he actually got the job done -- and I learned that he's a professional drummer in his sparetime. Yes, his spare time away from dermatology. He left the room for a second and brought back a CD by some singer-songwriter I had never heard of before.
"Yeah, he's had a few songs featured on Grey's Anatomy this year..."
WTF. Seriously?
Talk about a scary reaction to a relatively routine medical procedure...I'm definitely getting knocked out when I get my wisdom teeth done.
And this isn't really the first time that this has happened to me...
Back in my teenage years, I had to get a root canal done on a tooth that had basically just bunked out way too early. Right in the middle of the procedure, the dentist accidentally shot a small mix of water and bleach down my throat -- by accident, of course -- but it was too late. The anxiety hit me hard and the exact same reaction occurred -- all with a full dental dam in my mouth and half a root exposed. Good stuff...
Then there was the time that I got fitted for musician earplugs -- where foam is shot into your ear canal to mold a perfect fit for the actual plugs when they're manufactured -- and I had to leave the room because I thought I was going to get sick. Muffled sound. Pale white. Witnesses confirmed, "I've never seen a person go so white before in my life..."
Maybe I've got a little more anxiety in me than I ever knew...
Photo © swanksalot
The cameraphones came alive in the office today to catch some very early snow showers invade Chicago; most of us arrived to work swearing and bickering to ourselves due to the unseasonably cold weather that snuck it's way into Chicago anyway, and the snow just sealed the deal on the fact that winter has arrived much too soon.
My trip to Arizona over Thanksgiving is starting to sound that much more inviting now...
Google's trying to keep up with the Zoho's of the world by staying ahead of the WebOS movement...take their Spreadsheets and combine that with their acquisition of Writely and you get...
Google Docs and Spreadsheets [docs.google.com]
After all, what would a WebOS be without a place to store your documents and spreadsheets?
Do I need to start playing this game or what?
I've fallen out of love with video games over the past few years as I've picked up other interests -- namely music, blogging, and music blogging -- but I keep hearing good things about the Guitar Hero game and how fun/addictive it can be...
They just announced the tracklist for the second installment of Guitar Hero, set to come out on PS2 on November 7 (right in time for the holiday season), and it looks awesome...
1. Opening Licks
Motley Crue - Shout at the Devil
Danzig - Mother
Cheap Trick - Surrender
Wolfmother - Woman
Spinal Tap - Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight
2. Amp-Warmers
Kiss - Strutter
Nirvana - Heart-Shaped Box
Police - Message in a Bottle
Van Halen - You Really Got Me
Kansas - Carry on Wayward Son
3. String-Snappers
Foo Fighters - Monkey Wrench
Alice in Chains - Them Bones
Iggy Pop and the Stooges - Search and Destroy
Pretenders - Tattooed Love Boys
Black Sabbath - War Pigs
4. Thrash and Burn
Warrant - Cherry Pie
Butthole Surfers - Who Was in My Room Last Night
Mathew Sweet - Girlfriend
Rolling Stones - Can't You Hear Me Knockin'
Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine
5. Return of the Shred
Rage Against the Machine - Killing in the Name Of
Primus - John the Fisherman
Sword - Freya
Thin Lizzy - Bad Reputation
Aerosmith - Last Child
6. Relentless Riffs
Heart - Crazy on You
Stone Temple Pilots - Tripping on a Hole in a Paper Heart
Stray Cats - Rock This Town
Allman Brothers - Jessica
Jane's Addiction - Stop
7. Furious Fretwork
Anthrax - Madhouse
Living End - Carry Me Home
Lamb of God - Laid to Rest
Reverend Horton Heat - Psychobilly Freakout
Rush - YYZ
8. Face-Melters
Avenged Sevenfold - Beast and the Harlot
Suicidal Tendencies - Institutionalized
Dick Dale - Misirlou
Megadeth - Hangar 18
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird
They had me at Spinal Tap and kept me all the way through "Free Bird;" good stuff...
Katie and I went to see the Secret Machines at Park West last night...
The show was fantastic. Full review and video to go up on Live Music Blog probably sometime later today...
Google has gone and done the unthinkable (again) and paid an exorbatant amount of money for a company that many consider largely underdeveloped -- YouTube. Interesting...
...and yet totally logical to me. Google Video just didn't have the same user-experience to me -- mostly because they required you to download something to upload to their database -- so hey, when you can't beat 'em, purchase them for 1.65 billion.
You'll probably see the Battle of the Album Covers YouTube making it's way 'round the blogosphere today, so why not feed the flame...
Let the nuclear pissing match begin...
North Korea faced a barrage of condemnation and calls for retaliation Monday after it announced that it had set off a small atomic weapon underground, a test that thrust the secretive communist state into the elite club of nuclear-armed nations.North Korea says nuclear test successful [AP/Yahoo]
Google "jack bauer one liners"
Man, I really love the internet. And this Google thing that people keep talking about; it just never ceases to amaze me.
Am I wrong?
The Chicago Cubs have announced that they're not renewing Dusty Baker's contract; he will not be returning to coach the Cubs in 2007.
Dusty Baker didn't take any questions on Monday after the Cubs announced they were not renewing his contract. There was nothing left to be said.
A simple "so long, suckers!" would have sufficed.
Please let this breathe some life into the team for next year. Any sort of life will do...
The weather around Chicago has been kind of nuts lately. One minute, it's nice, mild, slightly breezy and a very welcoming indian summer day. The next minute, it's a friggin' crazy storm that explodes out of nowhere, dark skies, crazy winds, crazy flashes of lightning right in your neighborhood, etc.
Lucas the cat is scared.
Update: 9:28pm
Holy shit.
I went to see Tortoise the other night...that was pretty cool.
Other than that, I guess I don't have much to say. Oh well. More to come later in the week when I'm more *inspired*...
